In 2022, San Antonio eviction filings went up 108% compared to the pre-pandemic average.
If you're a San Antonio landlord, dealing with evictions is probably one of the biggest sources of landlord stress. Each one is a long, drawn-out process that costs lots of money. The best thing to do is avoid them at all costs.
There are several ways to do this. In today's post, we'll walk you through eviction protection and give some key landlord advice to help you mitigate the risk of eviction. Keep reading and protect your rental property as best you can in 2024.
Learn Local Eviction Laws
If you're going to protect yourself and your property from poor tenant behavior, prevention is important. That said, it's important to be prepared for evictions by familiarizing yourself with Texas eviction laws.
In Texas, you can evict a tenant for a few main reasons. One is nonpayment of rent, while the other notable one encompasses a variety of lease violations and property damage. Each of these violations is served with a particular notice.
If your tenant fails to pay rent on time, you can serve them with a 3-day pay or quit notice. Lease violations are served with a 3-day notice to cure or quit. What this means is that the notice gives the tenant 3 days to fix the violation or remove themselves from the property.
Tenant Screening
Preventing poor tenants from entering your property is the most surefire way to prevent evictions. Tenant screening involves looking into an applicant's financial and criminal background to ensure they're a good fit and can afford your unit.
You can also contact character references, such as former landlords or employers. These people can tell you in more detail what type of tenant you'll be getting.
Inspections and Security Deposits
Another important part of eviction protection is deterrence. By performing regular property inspections and collecting security deposits from tenants, you can better keep them in line and respectful of your property.
When you start a new tenancy, collect a security deposit from your tenant. This acts as insurance against poor tenant behavior. If they fail to pay rent or damage your property, you can reimburse yourself for their security deposit.
By conducting regular property inspections, you can deter poor tenant behavior. If they know you could drop by for an inspection - you do need to give a reasonable amount of notice before entering the property - they're far less likely to engage in lease-breaking behavior.
Eviction Protection From Property Management
These are a few of the best ways to protect against eviction. If you really want to take this seriously, however, the best thing to do is hire a property manager who offers eviction protection services.
Eviction protection guarantees that your property management company will deal with all evictions and prevent you from having to pay out of pocket for the costs associated with them. At PMI First SA Properties, we offer the best eviction protection policy in San Antonio.
When you hire us, we'll deal with everything from tenant screening to eviction protection. Contact us to learn more about our services today.
